The main objective of the Collegiate Education department is to impart best quality higher education to the eligible students of the State who complete their higher secondary level education. In order to achieve this objective the Department conducts various degree and post graduate level courses in the institutions under the Department, starts new courses, imparts training to Teachers and provide modern infrastructural facilities.

To bring the economically backward students to the higher education sector, the Department frames and implements various schemes of Scholarships and also implements various schemes of Central Sector Scholarships under the guidelines fixed by Government of India. The three reputed Music Academies in the State are already upgraded and affiliated to the Universities and Degree and PG courses are conducted in these institutions for getting maximum quality education to the students in music. RLV College of Music & Fine Arts imparts training for music, fine arts, Kathakali and Mohiniattam, Sculpture and Modelling and it is only one of its kind in Kerala.

The Department now conducts M.Ed. courses at the College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram and Institute of Advanced Studies at Thrissur with the intention to train the required number of Teachers in the training sector over and above the B.Ed. courses and in-service courses conducted in all the three Teacher Education Colleges and IASE, Thrissur. The Physical Education College at Kozhikkode under the Department conducts courses in the Physical Education sector.

The Department also provides various opportunities to the students and teachers to conduct research and to attend other career development programmes with the assistance of University Grants Commission and other agencies. Hostel facilities are also provided by the Department to the needy students. In short the Department oversees almost all activites for getting the students who enter in the higher education sector ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.